New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday refrained from interfering with the Orissa government’s show-cause notice to mining companies demanding penalties allegedly greater than what was mentioned in the SC judgement.
Some mining firms Tuesday told SC that the state government had given them a show-cause notice allegedly demanding more than the 100 per cent penalty ordered by the SC for violations. The alleged calculation anomalies and the penalties levied by the state by considering other parameters were also raised in the SC by mining companies.
The two-judge SC bench which heard the case Tuesday comprising Justice Madan Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta refrained from interfering in the matter and asked mining firms to approach appropriate forums for addressing their complaints.
In its earlier hearing, the SC had ordered the state government and the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to recalculate the penalties after going through the reported anomalies in calculation raised by some parties. The CEC report could not be discussed in detail Tuesday as the copies were given only to the petitioner, state government and court. The mining lessees did not get the copy which they are likely to get before the next hearing scheduled December 12.
It is expected that at the next hearing the CEC report and the penalty amount to be paid by miners would be discussed. However, the court had ordered that the penalties should be deposited before December 31, and there would be no change in the earlier SC order passed in August.
On October 24 the SC had ordered, “Counsel appearing for the mining lease holders say that there may be some anomalies regarding calculations. The CEC as well as the Orissa government should sit together to iron out all anomalies so that payments can be made. The computation must be done on or before 30, November, 2017 in accordance with the judgement of this court.”
PNN
